The New School Psychology Bulletin

Reflective Functioning and Dyadic Interactive Behavior

2024-06-03T11:38:45-04:00

Based on the accumulation of interactions with their caregivers, children are assumed to develop expectations regarding interactions between themselves and their attachment figures. Tied to these expectations are emotions that regulate behavior and eventually come to organize behavior in all significant relationships. Reflective Functioning (RF) is defined as the capacity to understand and interpret one’s own and other’s behavior as an expression of mental states (Fongay et al., 2002). There have been numerous papers linking RF to attachment and parent-child interaction. Here, we seek to extend our knowledge of RF and its link to attachment by investigating its role in maternal behaviors such as acknowledging and overall parent supportive presence. The current study examined 20 mother’s Adult Attachment Interviews (AAIs) using the RF scale and parent-child dyadic interactive behavior, utilizing the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) manual. We predicted mother’s RF scores (M=2.90, SD=.87) would be significantly correlated to mother’s acknowledging scores (M=2.23, SD=1.01), which they were r (20) = .57, p< .01. We also predicted that mothers acknowledging scores (M=2.23, SD=1.01) would be significantly inter-correlated with parent supportive presence (M=2.60, SD= .85), child alertness (M=3.08, SD=.94), and dyadic reciprocity (M=2.33, SD=.92), and they were r (20) = .77, p <.001, r (20) = .62, p <.01, and r (20) = .78, p <.001, respectively. We then examined the link between child’s alertness (M=3.08, SD= .94) and maternal RF (M=2.90, SD=.87), which were significant r (20) = .51, p<.05 and dyadic reciprocity (M=2.33, SD=.92) and maternal RF (M=2.90, SD=.87), which were also correlated r(20) = .45, p<.05.

Keywords: reflective functioning, mentalization, attachment, adult attachment interview, coding interactive behavior

Maintenance and Innocence: Psychosocial Motivations that Determine Dominance Strategies of High-status Groups

2024-06-03T11:38:45-04:00

In contexts of progressive social change towards more egalitarian intergroup relations, dominant social groups experience changes to their status and group image. This can threaten the security of two social needs for power and social acceptance, motivating individuals to attenuate these threats. These motivations are to maintain their high status position (i.e. maintenance motivation) and to be perceived as innocent of unfair advantages (i.e. innocence motivation). The present research examines the effects of these motivations in individual members of high-status social groups. Maintenance and innocence motivations were hypothesized to predict the endorsement of four dominance strategies among white U.S. Americans and male U.S. Americans (N = 343). The strategies predicted were defensive helping, willful ignorance, competitive victimhood, and blatant hostility. Multiple regression analyses were performed in order to determine the main effects and interaction effects of the two motivations on each strategy.

Age-Gap Relationship Stigma: A Study on the Effects of Stigmatization and Attachment on Individuals in Age-Gap Relationships

2024-06-03T11:38:45-04:00

The present study seeks to examine the impact that stigmatization has on age-gap couples. Stigmatization can have a negative impact on an individual’s mental health, identity formation, and create feelings of shame. Stigmatized individuals are also exposed to increased risks of social isolation, mental and physical abuse, and stereotyping. In this study, a sample of 103 participants, including 51 individuals in age-gap relations and 52 individuals in age-matched relationships are compared. All participants completed the Experience in Close Relationship Scale (ECR-S) as a measure of maladaptive attachment in adults in a romantic relationship. Participants also completed a novel questionnaire measuring exposure to stigma and stereotyping as a result of their age-gap relationship and how stigma has impacted their mental health and the success of their relationship. Results demonstrated that participants in age-gap relationships reported higher levels of exposure and negative impacts from stigmatization, and that an increase in age difference between romantic partners was positively correlated to increased exposure to stigmatization. While no significant difference was found in ECR-S measures of anxiety between age-gap and age-matched participants, a regression analysis highlighted that low avoidance and exposure to stigma were uniquely linked to large age-gap relationships. This study also revealed that location, measured by region within the United States, plays a significant role in mapping exposure to stigma. Findings from this study will provide key insights into the effects of stigmatization on the well-being of individuals in age-gap relationships, which can be used to help change societal narratives and better address mental health needs of those impacted.

Keywords: (age-gap relationship; stigma; relationship; stereotypes, age-gap romance, sexism, ageism)